WORCESTER—The WPI softball team has opened the spring season on a mission by reeling off 18 consecutive wins without a loss.
Quality starting pitching, reliable defense and offensive firepower have led the Engineers (18-0, 6-0 NEWMAC) to their longest winning streak since 2017 when they won 13 games in a row.
On Tuesday, WPI moved into the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) top 25 Division III poll for the first time this season. The Engineers are ranked #22 and are the only undefeated team on the list other than #1 Virginia Wesleyan (26-0).
Featuring most of its core lineup from a 25-win squad in 2025, the team came into this season primed to take things to another level.
“We’ve had high standards and expectations of what this season could look like but the start that we’ve had, nobody can plan or expect for that to happen and we’re just trying to stay focused one game at a time,” said fifth-year head coach Heather Ross. “We don’t talk about our record. We don’t talk about the next opponent. We have one-hundred percent bought into just today.”
The daily success begins in the pitcher’s circle where WPI features two formidable hurlers in freshman Abby Merchant (10-0, 1.17 ERA) and junior Naomi Boldebuck (6-0, 1.66 ERA) who have combined for 16 wins, 61 strikeouts and 10 complete games. The Engineers have also not allowed a single home run through 18 games.
On the offensive side, WPI has outscored its opponents 128-42 while hitting .333 as a team. The Engineers lead all NEWMAC teams with 23 home runs, a staggering 18 ahead of any other team in the conference.
WPI features six regular players hitting .300 or above in its lineup. Sophomore Lucy Latour leads the team in batting average (.464) runs (21), hits (26) and total bases (49). She is also 10 for 10 in stolen base attempts.
Senior Destiny Lum, a native of Hawaii, is hitting .447 and leads the team in on-base percentage (.542). Although Ross refers to her as the “cornerstone of the program,” a recent injury could stall the second half of Lum’s season.
Fellow senior Emma Nagy leads the team in home runs (6), RBI (22) and slugging percentage (.917) while hitting .396. Junior Sandy Fairbairn (.356), senior Meg Sherwood (.333) and junior Riley O’Brien (.315) round out the offensive attack.
In addition to strong pitching and hitting, the Engineers have been very solid on defense. WPI leads the NEWMAC in fielding percentage (.971) and has committed the fewest errors among conference teams (14).
Ross earned the 200th win of her career with a victory over Emmanuel in the first game of a doubleheader on March 31.
To date, she has more than 120 wins at WPI, including the first ever NCAA Softball Super Regional Championship and trip to the Division III National Championship series in Salem, VA during her first season with the Engineers.
“Those wins are a representation of all of us–not just me, but my past players and current players and my coaching staff,” said Ross. “It is the work of many people to get the outcome of a win for a coach. I’m excited for the many more wins to come with this group.”
The regular season consists of 22 more games during April and early May before the NEWMAC Tournament is played May 4-10. Ross is confident that WPI has the talented personnel and the right attitude to advance past the conference playoffs.
“I’m excited to see the next level of what we can get to. We’re not even done continually growing as a team,” said Ross. “Our team knows there’s still more places for us to go.”
